The war between Israel and Hamas broke out at the weekend with several incidents in the south of Russia, which has been embroiled for 20 months in the private dispute with Ukraine. Hundreds of people stormed the airport of Makhachkala, capital of Dagestan, to look for Israelis and Jews on a plane coming from Tel-Aviv. Earlier, a mob demonstrated in front of a hotel to demand the expulsion of Israeli guests. The Russian authorities and the Kremlin attribute the riots to "provocations" by "external enemies" to sow discord in the region, which has a Muslim majority and is the country's most unstable.
Dozens of men occupied the terminal and runway of Makhachkala airport for several hours on Sunday night. They had learned through online media that a plane coming from Tel-Aviv's Ben Gurion Airport was to land with Israeli refugees and they went looking for Jews protesting the conflict between Israel and the armed wing of the Islamist group Hamas. .
Before the plane arrived, from the Russian company Red Wings, the crowd broke into the airport facilities. A good number of demonstrators stood at the gates of the terminal and began to check passports and cars of passengers leaving the airport.
According to Russian media such as Echo of Dagestan, the crowd shouted anti-Semitic slogans and "Allahu akbar" (God is the greatest). Shots were also heard. Some ran to the runway and tried to board a plane that had arrived from Tel-Aviv, according to videos posted on social media.
The incidents left more than 20 injured, including nine police officers. The Department of the Interior of Dagestan identified 150 participants in the riots and yesterday the police had already arrested 60 of them.
Faced with the disturbing events, the Russian authorities are moving cautiously. Yesterday they showed understanding with those who feel indignation at the news coming from the Middle East, but they also did not hesitate to condemn the assault on the airport, "a serious violation of the law", said the regional head of the Dagestan, Sergey Melikov.
In any case, Moscow considers that the ultimate responsibility lies far from Russia and belongs to those who "use disinformation" to "destabilize" Russia.
"All Dagestanis identify with the suffering of the victims of the actions of unjust people and politicians and pray for peace in Palestine. But what happened at our airport is outrageous and should receive a proper assessment by law enforcement!", assured Mélikov.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said yesterday that "it is well known and obvious that the events at Makhachkala airport are the result of outside interference, including information influence".
And the spokeswoman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Maria Zakharova, directly blamed Ukraine. In a statement he said that the Kyiv authorities had "a direct and key role" in preparing the ground for what he called a "provocation".
He referred directly to the El Matí del Dagestan channel, from where he had been urged to "wait" for the passengers of the plane coming from Israel and "catch them before they leave on their side". The channel is related to former Russian deputy Illià Ponomariov, today an opponent of the Kremlin residing in Ukraine. Ponomariov said yesterday that he was an investor in the aforementioned channel, but that he no longer has any connection with it.
Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, estimated that the assault was "an attempt to sow discord" between Muslims and Jews in Russia by taking advantage of the war in the Middle East.
Before the assault on the airport, the fire had already been extinguished in the region for hours. On Saturday night, a group of people gathered in front of the Flamingo hotel, in the city of Khassaviurt. They went there in response to several reports that appeared on Telegram channels that claimed there were Israeli citizens living in the accommodation. They demanded their eviction and immediate expulsion from Dagestan. According to the Echo of Dagestan media, the calls to "besiege the hotel" came from El Matí del Dagestan. Mélikov assured that the rally in front of the Flamingo ended when the local authorities explained to the crowd that they had been deceived.
On Sunday, several complaints were also filed for the unauthorized celebration of a demonstration in support of Palestine in Cherkessk, capital of the Republic of Karatxians and Circassians.
The head of this region, Raishid Temrezov, admitted that the events of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict "cannot leave anyone indifferent", but pointed out that there are those who use "the sincere feelings of the people" to "destabilize the socio-political situation in our country and in the north of the Caucasus, in particular".
From Chechnya, scene of two terrible wars and subsequent years of fighting terrorism, the authorities asked yesterday that they "do not fall for provocations". The Minister of National Policy, Ahmed Dudaiev, stated that the representatives of all peoples living in Russia have the same rights and it cannot be allowed to incite inter-ethnic discord.
